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In 1943, the Imperial Japan Navy issued a long-range land-based
attack bomber specification. Nakajima aircraft company was selected to
design a four-engine bomber capable of meeting an specification for a
plane with maximum speed of 590 km/h able to carry 4,000 kg bomb-load.
Nakajima's design featured a mid-mounted wing of small area and high
aspect ratio, tricycle landing gear and a large single-fin rudder. In
addition to the internal offensive armament, the Nakajima G8N bristled
with heavy defensive armaments throughout its design. The first
prototype was completed in October 1944 and delivered to the Navy for
testing in January 1945. The Renzan performed satisfactorily and the
Navy hoped to have a total of 16 prototypes and 48 production assembled.
Three further G8N prototypes were completed, with the third prototype
being destroyed on the ground by US carrier aircraft. But the worsening
war situation and a critical shortage of light aluminum alloys led to
the project's cancellation in June. After the war, one prototype was
taken to the United States sand scrapped after testing.
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